Marketing Tactic - Focus developed through a lens.
Building a static website can be both a thrill and a chore. The thrill lies in developing a unique presence on the internet - a proud moment for an entrepreneur that toils through what can be a long process. The website is also a device that must always be tweaked and edited as your business grows and evolves – therein lies the chore.
A quick and easy solution to develop a defined focus on a segment within your business when time is of the essence and of limitation - build a Squidoo Lens; the brainchild of Seth Godin. Wikipedia defines Squidoo Lens as:
….. a network of user-generated lenses—single pages that highlight one person’s point of view, recommendations, or expertise. Lenses can be about anything, such as ideas, people or places, hobbies and sports, pets or products, philosophy, and politics.
Building a lens can be as quick and simple as 15 minutes spent drafting text or it can be more in-depth in layout with added gadgets and HTML. The following are a few uses for a Squidoo Lens:
• Feature new services
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Promote a new e-book or other give-away
• Reviews – books, software, services
• A “how to” – for your potential customers
• Top tools or sites relevant to your industry
• Launch an opinion survey
• Discuss new business trends
Here are two examples of recent Squidoo Lenses that I created. The first lens is a series of the most commonly asked questions by those unfamiliar with the Virtual Assistant Industry - Virtual Assistant - Most Frequently Asked Questions. This is a great marketing tool to use on Twitter when someone asks a question about a Virtual Assistant and our industry. With Twitter’s 140 characters limit – the link can be tweeted with maximum impact.
The second lens features new Internet Marketing Services in my Virtual Assistant practice. As a recent graduate of VAClassroom’s Interment Marketing Virtual Assistant program, I created a Squidoo Lens that promotes the services I provide to entrepreneurs assisting with their internet marketing campaigns - Internet Marketing Virtual Assistant.
The Point
Do you a new focus within your business that you want to promote quickly? Need an easy marketing tool but don’t have time to revamp your website? Create a Squidoo Lens that features your business and you. An added plus - the backlink to your website assists with SEO.
Photo by rabih
Consistent + Professional = Results! The proof of the pudding is in the eating.
Working in this virtual internet-based world, blunders happen, links break, and typo’s happen when we’re bleary eyed from long hours. Yet our mistakes take center stage to the fresh eye; our site visitor, potential client, competitor or peer. You never know who will discover you tomorrow. It is vital to put your best foot forward at all times. A professional appearance, even when you work virtually must be a priority.
Recently, I’ve come across a couple of blunders in blogs and websites. I searched for the site owner’s direct email address to alert them to the issue. In one case, it was one of my peers. An industry leader and someone I look up to as a guide for my business. They are also my competitor. Even so, it reflects on our industry - Virtual Assistant industry as a whole. My reasoning to tell them is simple. If one of my peers discovered a blunder or a typo that I missed during proofreading I would truly appreciate their efforts to seek me out and alert me to the issue. I didn’t do it with a big read sharpie like I’ve seen my husband do on his student’s term papers. I did it with respect and from a place of good will.
The Point
Proof of the pudding is in the eating – results are what counts. In order to achieve results, a consistent and professional appearance must be maintained. After putting in long days of drafting and writing to get a project completed, go back in a couple of days and reread what you’ve done. Tweak your posts; learn from your mistakes for the next time. Create templates for projects to simplify the task. Regularly check links on your website and blog to ensure they are not broken. Ensure that you’re landing page used in various advertising campaigns are loading quickly and work in all browsers. You can work in your pj’s if you like but your work shouldn’t look as if you did.
Photo by jonno259
How Strong Can You Go? Best Creative Password System that will give hackers a migraine and bring out your inner child!
Photo by cuellar How strong is your password? Wikipedia defines password strength as
“a measurement of the effectiveness of a password as an authentication credential. The strength of a password is a function of length, complexity, and randomness.”
How does your password measure up? Have you created a safe barrier between your proprietary information and the outside world? Remember that just like the constant evolving technology, hackers are developing their skills just as fast if not faster.
Creative Password System – Mnemonic First Letter Phrase
Password Protection – How do you protect and manage the data that is safekeeping your proprietary information
Photo by elbisreverri Today, protection of proprietary information and personal data is mandatory. Throughout your workday, you enter websites, programs and systems that require passwords to gain access – administration panels for web hosting and blogs, web-based emails and applications, data storage, newsfeeds, social networks and forums.
Passwords are the gatekeeper of your critical business information. What systems do you have in-place to protect and manage your passwords? Are you able to remember each login and password to various sites and applications? How quickly are you able to access a protected site or an account that you seldom access?
Three systems to protect your passwords, logins, and account information:
5 Tips for Managing Information Overload in Your Inbox
As an entrepreneur in today’s fast paced business world, you find yourself facing it sooner or later – Information Overload. In order to keep up with the ever evolving business model, new information is always sought and information overload becomes the daily grind.
So, how do you keep that steady information stream from becoming overwhelming? Simply put, you must manage the information as it comes in. It’s like the game Tetris. In the beginning you’re doing well keeping the decks cleared. As the pieces fall, you turn and twist them, line them up and clear the row. Then as the clock ticks, speed begins to build, first one layer builds, then another and another. There are gaping holes that you suddenly can’t fill. You start to scramble, shoving pieces here and there, no longer thinking about the flow and alignment. Before you know it – GAME OVER.
Your e-mail inbox can sometimes resemble a Tetris grid. Important emails are starting to pile up, eventually lost in a long stack as new ones fall on top. Emails are pushed into folders with no systems in place for follow-up, archiving or review. You are no longer managing your inbox, it’s managing you.
Here are five tips to put into practice and take back control of your inbox.
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